So — public persons say incredibly stupid public thing and pay a public price. We know that song; happens all the time. Yet their reaction to the reaction to their reaction (got that?) makes you wonder if, maybe, these men like getting whipped by women.

FOX News’ own Greta Van Susteren has hit back at her male colleagues—“next thing they will have a segment to discuss eliminating women’s right to vote”—and daytime anchor Megyn Kelly hammered Dobbs and Erickson this afternoon, opening her segment with the question: “What makes you dominant and me submissive—and who died and made you scientist-in-chief?”

And yet both men have doubled down on their misogyny. Dobbs mockingly referred to Kelly as “Oh, Dominant One” after complaining that she had interrupted him, while Erickson, in a blog post titled “The Truth May Hurt, But Is Not Mean,” writes:

“Many feminist and emo lefties have their panties in a wad over my statements.”

“Panties,” “dominants” and “submissives.” With that kind of talk, it’s only fair ask: Do male conservative TV pundits enjoy it when women whip and spank them for doing things that are naughty? Do they like it rough?

Again, FOX-style, no one is suggesting they do: We’re just asking the question.